To many people I know, the standard of pre-schools (kindergarten) and primary schools education is of utmost importance. This is not to say that the standard of secondary and higher education is not important. But it is during the pre-school and primary school days that our children's impressionable young minds are developed and shaped for the future. Allow me to share a disturbing experience.

One of my children is in primary four at Sekolah Kebangsaan Damansara Utama, a 'reputable' government school in the Klang Valley. Yesterday, she reached home from school not in a very good mood. When queried, she said her Bahasa Malaysia teacher had instructed the whole class to complete at home 43 pages of exercise in the Bahasa Malaysia workbook in one day! The teacher told her students that those who failed to complete the assignment by the following day would be sent to see another reputedly stern teacher who was feared by the students.

When I sent my child to school this morning, I proceeded to the headmaster's office with the intention of lodging a complaint. Not surprisingly, quite a number of parents were also there to do the same. In the school office, a teacher informed me that the headmaster was not in at that time. When I requested to see the school's senior assistant instead, he told me it was the teacher in question! But she was not at the school office.

Imagine

  • A teacher imposing very unreasonable demands on young kids. Since the kids are exposed to and being taught such unreasonable behaviour by their teacher, they are likely to grow up emulating such behaviour in their adult lives.

  • The teacher, who, (by imposing such homework) must have been behind time in teaching her class, also happens to the school's senior assistant! How sad!

  • Exams for the class were originally scheduled to commence on Sept 30 but are now postponed to Oct 7. Does the senior assistant's lag in teaching her students have anything to do with the postponement?

  • The teacher is said to have had other complaints against her, on the account of slapping students. It appears that this teacher, or senior assistant, is not only teaching her students to be unreasonable, she is also teaching her students to be violent as well!

I am forwarding copies of this letter to our deputy prime minister and our education minister for their information and necessary action. Let us all hope and pray that steps will be taken by the government to address such a sad situation. All the children in this beloved nation of ours deserve better.